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Published Articles by Michael Morris

Buy Low, Sell High

Wouldn’t we all love to make fantasy baseball trades that will benefit our team? But in fantasy sports, getting a trade finalized is not so easy. Here are the top names you should target to acquire in a trade and buy low, and also players that you should consider shipping and sell high.

Buy Low

Jason Heyward, Atl OF

Much was expected of Heyward at the start of this season. And while the Braves started off hotter than leather seats on a hot summer day, Heyward has struggled to play up to expectations. After spending time on the DL because of an appendectomy he had in April, the J-Hey-Kid has returned to the lineup and continued to struggle. Don’t let him off your roster if you own him and be on the lookout for someone looking to press the eject button.

The 23-year-old will get to where he needs to be soon enough. And for those questioning that, look at the number of multi-hit games he has had this season. In the first 17 games of the season, Heyward had just one multi-hit game. In the last week Heyward has already tallied two more multi-hit games. Heyward was never known for his average but his .139 average as of Tuesday should be back to respectability this time next month.

David Price, TB SP

Price was taken in most drafts alongside names like Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez but now ranks among names like Clayton Richard and David Hernandez.

Price has been right for most of his career and this is by far the worst start he has had since coming to the Rays in 2008. Price has seen career worsts in ERA (5.24), WHIP (1.436), H/9 (10.6) and HR/9 (1.3)–yet he’s got a career low in BB/9. Unfortunately for him that’s not the only way you can get on base. Unless Price is damaged goods, which it appears is not the case, Price will find his groove and should find some kind of mean between his 2011 and 2012 seasons. Do yourself a favor and feel out the owner with Price. Offer up someone like Kyle Kendrick or Hiroki Kuroda and see if they bite. You never know. You might end up with last years AL Cy Young.

Josh Willingham, Min OF

As much as I like Willingham he wasn’t a guy I could afford to keep on my roster given the limited depth I have on one of my fantasy teams. I was rotating in Gerardo Parra, Yoenis Cespedes, Jay Bruce and Willingham the last month or so and was consistently frustrated with Willingham’s inconsistency. A season ago he put a Silver Slugger in his trophy case. This year he’s got people wondering where that same bat went?

Willingham is a guy I pushed for in March as a sleeper but the inconsistency made it hard for me and others to keep him. That bat will return at some point in the season so if you’ve got some flexibility, picking him up may give you a boost later on in the season. I know that I’ll be keeping an eye on his production.

Sell High

Jean Segura, Mil SS

Let me preface this with an I told you so. Segura has been playing out of his mind in Milwaukee and has actually become one of the strongest short stops statistically this season with Miguel Cabrera-like consistency. His .355 BA, .566 SLG and .963 OPS are impressive but they will surely fall unless Segura really is the best short stop the league has seen in the last decade. He’s got plenty of talent but the only way he can go is down. Test the waters with Segura. You won’t know how high his value is among other owners if you don’t shoot out some offers

Starling Marte, Pit OF

Marte has been one of the biggest surprises this season. The Pirates’ outfielder has done his best impression of Andrew McCutchen this year and that is exactly what it is: an impression. Marte has proven he can hit, but like most young players who start off hot, they will eventually cool off. This year Marte is hitting .305 after hitting .257 the season prior. The sample size is the same but he’s been able to make better chances of his opportunities this year. Like Segura, I expect Marte to finish off the season with a few cold streaks along the way to bring his value down a bit. His ceiling won’t get any higher this year so why not see what you can get?

Matt Moore, TB SP

While Price has played like the third year starter, Matt Moore has looked like the returning Cy Young winner. Moore, 23, is the youngest left-handed pitcher to start a season 8-0 since Babe Ruth did it in 1917 andwent on to win 24 games that season. Do yourself a favor and drop the Ruth stat in an offer to a owner struggling on the mound. No pitcher has more value than Matt Moore. Take advantage of his hot start and see what kind of offers you receive for him.

Have a specific fantasy baseball trade question? Tweet your question to @ThisJustM along with a snapshot of your team so I can analyze the trade.